Diel variations of selected physico-chemical parameters in Lake Kissimmee,Florida

Every two months, diel depth profiles were made of dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature and conductivity at two stations in Lake Kissimmee, Florida, from July 1974 through June 1975. Results suggest that stratification does not occur in the large (137 km²), shallow (mean depth 2.5 m) lake, though steep vertical gradients in these parameters may develop. The data also suggest that when these gradients do occur, they rapidly degenerate at night or under slight wind stress. Since many Florida lakes are relatively shallow (mean depth < 5 m) and topography offers little obstruction to wind action, it is believed that the holomictic condition observed in Lake Kissimmee may be typical of the state's lakes, particularly those in the central portion of the peninsula.